Industrial warewashing and laundry machines generally comprise a wash tank which contains a cleaning solution for the wash process. In this process, the wash load is contacted with the cleaning solution and subsequently with rinse water which falls into the wash tank. With each cycle, the cleaning power of the cleaning solution is reduced, first because some is exhausted by the soil removing process and, second, because it is diluted with rinse water. The cleaning solution is therefor recharged from time to time by adding fresh cleaning liquid from a dispenser system which usually provides a concentrated aqueous solution of an alkaline and/or surfactant based chemical composition. These chemical compositions are typically provided in solid form and are stored in the dispenser housing.
A number of techniques are known for converting the solid chemicals into a concentrated solution, dependant on the solid. For example, solid powder chemicals can be dissolved by placing them on a sieve and spraying water onto the sieve from below. Alternatively, the powder material can be dissolved in a dispenser of the "water-in-reservoir" type, in which the powder material is submerged under water, which thereafter becomes bloated or even saturated with the powder. When more water is added, the excess solution flows into an overflow pipe leading to the washing machine. It is also possible to use solid detergent materials in the form of briquettes in the water-in-reservoir type of dispenser.
A more recent type of solid chemical is the solid cast or block form, in which a solid block is formed by pouring a concentrated aqueous slurry into a container, in which it solidifies upon cooling as a result of the hydration of the salts in the composition. Some solid blocks cast in containers require dispensing systems in which solvent is sprayed onto the block while it is inside the container, thereby dissolving the exposed surface to form a concentrated solution. When the solid blocks are not used in the same container in which they were cast, various dispensing systems can be employed. For example, European Patent Application No. 231,603, discloses a dispenser comprising a three dimensional screen on which a solid detergent block is supported, and a spray means is employed to impinge upon the solid block through the screen from below.
Dispensers for solid blocks of chemical such as detergents and lubricants are also employed in which multiple numbers of blocks can be disposed within the dispenser cavity, in which the blocks are dropped into the open cavity from above. The solid block chemical products typically are provided in 5 gallon drum containers having a weight of about 50 pounds. In a typical operation, a cast solid block product is released from a container such as a five gallon bucket, dropping into a compartment or receptacle of a dispenser. The product is dropped approximately 16 inches requiring the dispenser sub unit or main tank unit to absorb the initial impact shock. When such solid blocks are allowed to fall into the dispenser cavity, they free fall into the dispenser and often cause structural damage. The impact shock can also disturb electrical components causing misalignments. Also, the solid blocks can become fractured from the fall resulting in particles or extruded pieces falling into the lower sump of the dispenser, which in turn causes an uncontrolled concentration overshoot condition.
Therefore, there is a need for a braking type device which prevents the damage caused by the free fall of solid blocks of chemical into the receptacles of solid block chemical dispensers.